The Oscars: All bets are off
arlier this week the ran a piece about a survey it conducted recently that concluded that the majority of voters in the Academy of Motion Picturearts & Sciences — you know, the people who decide who get the Oscars every year — are male, white and old. This is not exactly news. The lack of diversity is something the Academy itself isn’t too happy about. They want younger members, more women, more minorities — anybody, really, who works in the industry and hasn’t applied yet — to do so and help adjust that demographic. The image of Oscar voters as old white dudes may explain why something like could beat for Best Picture, for example. Or edging out just last year.
It’s also the reason that is likely going to take home the lion’s share of the major awards come Monday morning (which is when the live telecast of the Oscars airs locally). It’s difficult to weigh in on how deserving
is. Philippine audiences haven’t seen the film because it hasn’t been released locally, and likely won’t be, even if it did win Best Picture. Local distributors aren’t exactly chomping at the bit to take a financial risk on a black and white, silent film that’s a throwback to the glory days of Hollywood most audiences weren’t even alive for, and starring no one the average moviegoer knows, to boot. All we have to go on is the acclaim and awards the film’s received from other bodies, like the Hollywood Foreign Press (the Golden Globes) and the Producers’ Guild, which basically means it’s going to win Best Picture.
and another nominee for Best Picture, Martin Scorsese’s , are the kinds of films the academy loves to celebrate:moviesabouttheloveofmovies.ifever doesn’t take it home, it’ll probably be that upsets it. The only other serious contenders are Woody Allen’s and Alexander Payne’s , both indie darlings.
Best Director will probably go the way of ’s Michel Hazanavicius, as well, though Woody Allen has an underdog chance. Scorsese won it too recently with
. As anybody who bets on their office Oscar pool knows, the acting categories are where the real action is. This year’s are tricky; maybe only Best Supporting Actor is a lock.
Among the nominees for Supporting Actor are two veterans: Christopher Plummer (for ) and Max Von Sydow (for ). The Academy loves to give awards to their elder statesmen (especially since most of them belong to that category to begin with), so it’ll be down to these two. But c’mon, it’s Captain Von Trapp! Plummer’s got it in the bag. In Supporting Actress, while I’d love to see
’ Melissa Mccarthy take it home, just to see an Oscar go to a comedy-related nominee, all signs point to ’s Octavia Spencer.
As they do towards Viola Davis in the Best Actress category, as well. Looks like that’s where ’ll do its damage. Still, don’t discount the prospect of Meryl Streep (
[not, sadly, part of the series]) repeating her surprise Golden Globe win. While I’d love to see Rooney Mara’s wire-taut performance in get a win, they just gave it to a young actress last year
( ’s Natalie Portman), so that’s a long shot at best. As for Best Actor, well, ’s Jean Dujardin has a lot of momentum going for him. He carries practically the entire film, and without dialogue, at that. Still, the Academy loves them some George Clooney, and it feels like it’s his time. Plus, they know who he actually is, and did I mention how the Academy loves them some George Clooney? They do.
As for some of the other awards: Original Screenplay to Woody Allen, Adapted to . Emmanuel Lubezki’s breathtaking work in for Cinematogaphy. Good luck on your bets! Remember, when it comes to documentaries, go for the one on the Holocaust.